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Songs in the Key of Orange Alert

Their music crosses between Blondie and No Doubt, but the lead singer is a natural brunette, and their aesthetic shines more like the bastard step-child of Blondie and The Pretenders. 80's retro chic made cool.

Genre: Rock: Modern Rock

Release Date: 2004

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ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Songs in the Key of Orange Alert is Audio Fiction's debut EP album, reflects the tenacity of life and the desire to hold onto the things that always were, even when everything is supposed to be different.

The record's title is inspired by the New York "terror alert" status under which the songs were written.
While no other track on the EP is as overtly political as the anti-war anthem "Tick Tock," each song deals in one way or another with the anxiety endemic to our place and time. Whether it be in context of romantic relationships ("Bless Me," "Impenetrable," "Wanna Be Wild"), unemployment ("Don't Do It"), or all-purpose existential angst with a New York time-crunch twist ("Race the Hourglass"), all the tracks have an underlying uncertainty in common. This, coupled with Audio Fiction's sardonic wit and tongue-in-cheek humor, make for an EP that is unique, compelling, entertaining and danceable.

"Tick Tock," is deliriously enjoyable ear candy… the song is so much fun to bop

"Tick Tock," is deliriously enjoyable ear candy… the song is so much fun to bop around to like you're 14 years old that it's hard to pay much attention to what Ferraro's singing about. ……"Impenetrable," …. is an example of a great marriage between music and words. It also best showcases Ferraro's voice in a gorgeous, sultry tune as she expresses her frailty in a romantic entanglement that has her pleading "not for salvation/ Just grace." " is much more evocative in its imagery of light and darkness, creating a mood of sensuous melancholy…..(AF) they could be a contender.

The handful of pop nuggets found in the pocket of NYC's AUDIO FICTION presents

The handful of pop nuggets found in the pocket of NYC's AUDIO FICTION presents the audience with plenty of sounds to make them listen. SONGS IN THE KEY OF ORANGE ALERT is the brand new 6 song ep from cohorts MIMI FERRARO (vox), FERG O'SULLIVAN (lead guitar/vox), ANTHONY LOUPOS (guitar), TOM MOON (bass) and drummer MARK O'TOOLE. Bringing the listener to memories of the playful tunes of Blondie and Souixie and the Banshees. Coupled with a modern day dose of Natalie Merchant and a dash of No Doubt.

Recorded at Laughing Buddha Studios in NYC, you are sure to find a hook or two for your ears when flipping through this short but sweet listen. Fall into the driving, hook laden bass work on RACE THE HOURGLASS [track 2]. Settle into the dreamy, Cure-esque guitar work on BLESS ME [track 6]. Whether you hone into the vocals, the whimsical guitar work or the solid rhythm, don't forget to grab up this handful of quirky pop tunes.

With an official release date of November 2004, I'm sure that fans might be able to beg for an advance copy at any upcoming live appearances. Check out their website for more information about the band and when and where you can see them live.

Early ‘80s New Wave is being reinvented by stylish New York/Irish band Audio Fiction, who have just released a new Bush-bashing EP entitled Songs In the Key of Orange Alert.

EVERYTHING old is new again.

That’s what I said to myself when I placed my checkered Van slip-on shoes into the closet after being roundly ridiculed at a family barbecue a few years ago. Now, the men’s magazines are full of models wearing the shoes made popular on the new wave celluloid classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. At another barbecue a few weeks ago, my college-age cousin was sick with envy as I walked the backyard in all my checkered glory.

Indeed, you can hear New Wave 1980s roaring through concert halls and record shops all over this great land. Madonna and Prince are the two top concert earners in this dismal season, with the Material Girl packing the house at Slane Castle in Co. Meath recently.

A disc arrived in the mailbag this week to support this New Wave trend. Just in time to greet the thick security blanket of last week’s Republican National Convention, New York’s Audio Fiction has released a batch of catchy songs on an EP called Songs In the Key of Orange Alert.

The lead-off single is “Tick Tock,” a cheery power pop marshmallow with deceptively caustic lyrics that rally against the war effort.

“I smash your face with my open hand/marvel at your bloody nose/did I make my point or should I go on?/Life is good, if you’re on the right side/I dropped a bomb and killed your cat/wondering if I missed your dog/Did you like that? Want some more?” sings Mimi Ferraro in a coquettish delivery that recalls the ballsy pillow talk of Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

She is backed by a crackerjack band that consists of Ferg O’Sullivan (guitar and vocals), Anthony Loupos (guitar), Tom Moon (bass) and Co. Wicklow native Mark O’Toole (drums). On “Don’t Do It,” the band begins with a Velvet Underground-esque spoken word mood piece that breaks into a grunge chorus on a hairpin beat.

They play a number of diverse styles on the new disc. “Impenetrable” is a slinky R&B track that would feel right at home on a Norah Jones CD, but for O’Toole, the New Wave retro categorization is one he is still coming to grips with.

“People think retro-’80s are cool again,” he says during an interview with the Irish Voice. “When I used to hear that I would cringe. But now I think its great.

“There’s a lot of great music out there. You had some crap like Kajagoogoo, but there is great stuff like Simple Minds, the Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen as well. My influences are U2 and Radiohead. Feargall loves Thin Lizzy, while Tom loves R&B and Mimi likes pop and rock.

“So, when we write and jam, I think we are able to bring all those influences into play to form an Audio Fiction sound.”

According to the band’s website, “Ferg writes happy songs, Anthony and Mimi write deep, depressing songs, Mark writes witty depressing lyrics and drum solos, and Tom laughs at the rest of the band.” The balance of diverse viewpoints makes for a tasty CD with a little something for all tastes.

“We look at this EP almost as a calling card,” says O’Toole. “There’s only six songs on this, so we picked the tracks so that there would be something for everyone on it. I think we are able to move into different styles while keeping your identity.”

Watching this band evolve should be a lot of fun. And that’s no fiction. To pick up a copy of the CD or to find out more about their upcoming fall tour, log onto www.audiofictionband.com

"Tick Tock," is deliriously enjoyable ear candy… the song is so much fun to bop

"Tick Tock," is deliriously enjoyable ear candy… the song is so much fun to bop around to like you're 14 years old that it's hard to pay much attention to what Ferraro's singing about. ……"Impenetrable," …. is an example of a great marriage between music and words. It also best showcases Ferraro's voice in a gorgeous, sultry tune as she expresses her frailty in a romantic entanglement that has her pleading "not for salvation/ Just grace." " is much more evocative in its imagery of light and darkness, creating a mood of sensuous melancholy…..(AF) they could be a contender. – Kirthana Ramisetti

New York rock band Audio Fiction marks a frightening moment in history by naming their new CD Songs in the Key of Orange Alert after the U.S’s colour coded terrorist alert system. It is an addictive listen. Lead singer /pianist Mimi Ferraro has a liquid, mid range which is immediately appealing. Audio Fiction’s music shares elements of punk, pop, and a little bit of funk. Songs in the Key of Orange Alert is full of upbeat rhythms, catchy choruses and insightful lyrics. Tick Tock, Race the Hourglass and I Wanna Be Wild stand out as well as Don’t Do it. Audio Fiction slows down a tad incorporating more of a jazzy vibe on Bless Me and Impenetrable. It is a fun listen. We can expect excellent things from Audio Fiction in the future.

the band is on the right path and moving with rapid precision toward becoming se

Perhaps not since William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury” has there been a group so obsessed with loss, regret and time slipping away.
But the band’s sound is hardly gloom and doom. Like most commercially successful acts, nostalgia figures largely into the equation. Audio Fiction evokes an 80s New Wave carefree innocence, and ultra-chic lesbian lead singer Mimi Ferraro’s voice is lofty and full of sweet emotion. She can sing a pretty tune, to be sure, as evidenced on tracks like “Race the Hourglass” and “Wanna Be Wild,” but her voice seems even stronger when suffused with a bit of grit, as in the cut “Impenetrable.” The band has not been numbed into apoliticism, throwing barbs into the album’s first track, the pointedly political anti-war tune, “Tick Tock.” It decries the barbarism of our “American Psycho” with the lyrics, “I dropped a bomb and killed your cat/ Wondering if I missed your dog/ Did you like that? Want some more?/ Life is good, if you’re on the right side.” The success of the song lies largely in the irony that juxtaposes these caustic images with sugarcoated pop instrumentals. ...the band is on the right path and moving with rapid precision toward becoming serious players. - Winnie McCroy

The vocals are somewhat familiar - I'm not sure if it's the Four Non Blondes reference or if singer Mimi just has one of those voices that reminds you of someone. Though I'm not hearing Blondie or No Doubt, which the band has also been likened to. They do however; have the punky vocals and pop-rock sensibilities that are found in the aforementioned bands. They use the tag-line "80's retro chic made cool," a theme that sticks, provided it was not intended to diminish the cool chic bands of that era (see Blondie). Surprisingly, beyond the anti-Bush "Tick Tock", the disc is light on political commentary, despite its punked-up 'tude, and while only six songs long it is a nice overall look into what this band has to offer: strong vocals and rhythm, good song structures and a balance of dark, deep, and sometimes depressing vibes with rocked-up dance tunes and a throw-back vibe.

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